Recirculation infusion mash system

ABSTRACT

A process of mashing grain into fermentable sugar wherein two pots are used in the process. A first pot and a second pot is partially filled with water. Heat is added to the first pot. Heat is transferred to the second pot by transferring the water from the first pot to the second pot at a preestablished rate. Grain is added to the second pot which in conjunction with the water forms a wort. The wort is drained from the second pot to the first pot.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to a system or a process for mashinggrain into a fermentable sugar.

BACKGROUND

It is well known in the art to use a 3 tier system to produce beer wortfrom crushed grains. A typical system utilizes a first vessel forboiling the finished wort. A second vessel called a mash and lauter tunfor mashing the grains which will contain a false bottom or a slottedpipe manifold or a simple screen on the drain fitting. A third vesselcalled a hot liquor tank (HLT) is simply a tank for heating the rinsewater for the spent grains. Although uncommon, sometimes a combined mashlauter tun is not used and the wort is transferred from the mash tun tothe lauter tun for wort (unfermented beer) separation. To prepare thewort, the mash tun is filled with a preestablished quantity of water andheated to a preestablished temperature. Typically, a water to gristratio of 1 to 2 quarts of water per pound of grain is used. The crushedgrains are then placed in the tun and allowed to rest for a period oftime which allows the starches in the grains to convert to sugars. Atthe same time, the HLT is filled and heated to a preestablishedtemperature. After the mash rest is completed, the contents of the mashtun are drained into a grant (a smaller pot) and returned to the top ofthe mash. This is repeated until the wort runs clear, and in the art iscalled a vorlauf or simply “setting the mash bed”. This step will allowthe mash to act as the filter media for the wort, thus, clarifying thewort. The clarified wort is then directed to the brew kettle.Simultaneously, a sparging process is begun by draining the HLT waterinto the top of the mash tun thereby rinsing the remaining sugars out ofthe grains and into the brew kettle. For best efficiency it is known inthe art that this process should take about an hour to perform. A ratemuch faster than this and extraction efficiency suffers. After thesparging process, a clear wort is drained into the brew kettle sincenearly all sugars have been removed from the mashed grains. As a result,traditional 3 tier systems product a very clear wort free of undesirableproteins and do so with excellent efficiencies. Their main drawback isthe extended amount of time needed to prepare the wort due to theclarification and sparging process. Additionally, brewers have adifficult time controlling temperatures in the mash tun to produce thedesired wort sugar consistency. Therefore it is quite common to utilizea Recirculation Infusion Mash System (RIMS) in the mashing process forthe preparation of beer wort which is well known in the art. A commonvariant of the traditional RIMS is to use a heat exchanger instead ofdirectly applying heat. These systems are referred to as “Heat ExchangerRecirculation Mash Systems” or HERMS. Such systems utilize a mash tunwhich contains a false bottom or other filter system (screens, slottedpipe manifold to name a few). The wort is drawn off the bottom of thepot, then directly heated via an electric, gas or other heat sources andreturned to the top of the mash. It is common to recirculate via a pumpbut gravity draining into a second container and manually returning thewort to the top of the mash is also common. HERMS systems indirectlyheat the wort through a heat exchanger usually immersed to the hotliquor tank. This reduces the chances of scorching the wort which addsundesirable flavor and colors to the finished wort. When thepreestablished rest temperature is reached the heater (or pump in thecase of a HERMS system) is turned off. Also very common are numerouselectronic control systems to automatically turn the pumps/heat on andoff to maintaining a preestablished rest temperature, typicallyemploying a temperature sensor and a meter, PID, PLC, switch or similarto turn on/off modulate the heat source to maintain preestablishedtemperature and, if desired, ramp to numerous temperatures through outthe mashing process.

The “Brew in a Bag” (BIAB) method is also well known in the art toproduce wort in an all grain system. The BIAB system are quite simpleand are becoming more popular in the industry because of their ease ofuse, although they do have some deficiencies. Namely, lack of wortclarification and poor efficiency. In lieu of a pot and a false bottom.A porous bag filled with crushed grains is placed in a pot of heatedwater of a predetermined volume and allowed to steep for apreestablished time. Typical water to grist ratio's are 2-3 quarts perpound of grain. Noting, higher ratios may not be achieved since thegrains consume a significant portion of the total volume of the mash andis limited by the size of the pot. This would require an oversized potwith a less than optimum size for good boil characteristics once thespent grains are removed. After this time has passed the bag is liftedand allowed to drain back into the pot. While the advantages ofsimplicity, low cost, and speed are clear and obvious advantages, thereare equally clear disadvantages to the BIAB system. Firstly, theelimination of recirculation precludes the clarification of the wortfrom the grains acting as a filter media and the resulting worts aresignificantly cloudier than those of 3 tier type systems and containundesirable proteins and particulate matter which negatively impact beerquality, Secondly, it is not possible to readily perform a step mash(resting at various temperatures) since the bag impedes the heatingaction and leads to scorching. This precludes the brewer from makingcertain beer styles since they require multiple temperature rests.Therefore only beers capable of being brewed in a simple step infusionmash are suitable of being brewed in a BIAB system. Thirdly, significantquantities of wort sugars remain in the spent grains since the spargingprocess described above is eliminated, and the wort is more concentratedthan the present invention. Therefore cloudy wort with significantlylower efficiency (more grain is required to produce the finished beer)are produced with BIAB systems. And lastly, the brewer must lift the hotbag of spent grains above the brew kettle to drain out the containedwort. This a cumbersome, heavy and a somewhat dangerous operation.

The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of theproblems as set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing grain intofermentable sugar is comprised of the following steps: placing a firstpreestablished quantity of water into a first pot; placing a secondpreestablished quantity of water into a second pot; applying apreestablished quantity of heat to the first pot; transferring at leasta portion of the heated preestablished quantity of water within thefirst pot into the second pot, resulting in heating the preestablishedquantity of water within the second pot; adding the grain to the secondpot not being heated; circulating the preestablished quantity of waterfrom the first pot being heated to the second pot forming a wort;controlling the circulating step defining a preestablished flow rate ofthe wort; draining the wort from the second pot not being heated intothe first pot; and removing the grain from the second pot not beingheated.

In another aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing graininto fermentable sugars includes a first pot being a mash tun and asecond pot being a boil kettle; the mash tun being elevationallypositioned above the boil kettle; the boil kettle having a lidpositioned in contacting relationship and being positioned in an opentop of the boil kettle; the mash tun being elevationally positionedabove the boil kettle; the boil kettle having a lid positioned incontacting relationship and being positioned in an open top of the boilkettle; the mash tun being in contacting relationship with the lid; adrain line communicating from the mash tun near the closed bottom of themash tun into the boil kettle; a flow control mechanism being positionedin the drain line; and a heating unit transferring heat to the boilkettle.

) In another aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing graininto fermentable sugars comprises the steps of: adding water to each ofthe two pots; heating one of the two pots with a heater; circulating thewater being heated in the one of the two pots to the other of the twopots using a pump; adding a grain to the one of the two pots not beingheated by the heater; forming a wort; circulating the wort between thetwo pots; controlling a flow rate of the step circulating the wort usinga flow control mechanism; and draining the wort into the one of the twopots being heated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prior art schematic view of the 3 tier system of convertinggrain into wort;

FIG. 2 is a prior art schematic view of the Brew in a Bag system ofconverting grain into wort;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located elevationally abovethe boil kettle;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located elevationally belowthe boil kettle;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located substantiallyelevationally in the same plane;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle having a second pot or mash tun elevationally located abovethe first pot or boil kettle;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle having a second pot or mash tun elevationally located abovethe first pot or boil kettle, and the second pot or mash tun beingsupported by the first pot or boil kettle; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot orboil kettle positioned on a stand and a second pot or mash tun beingpositioned on the stand and at an elevation above the first pot or boilkettle, and the first pot or boil kettle and the second pot or mash tunbeing offset one from the other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the prior art schematic of FIG. 1, a conventional 3 tier system 2 isshown. The 3 tier setup includes a preestablished amount of water 4placed in a first pot, a mash pot 6 and heated by a heating unit 8 to apreestablished temperature. Grain 10 is added at the preestablishedtemperature and the preestablished temperature is stabilize. Separately,a preestablished amount of sparge (rinse) water 4 is added to a secondpot, hot liquor tank (HLT) 12. The hot liquor tank 12 is heated to apreestablished temperature and held at that temperature until needed forsparging at the end of a mashing process 24 within a third pot 14. Thus,the 3 tier system uses three (3) pots 6, 12, 14.

In the prior art 3 tier system of FIG. 1, a predetermined volume ofwater 4 is placed in the hot liquor tank 12 and a remainder of the water4 is placed in the mash pot 6. In general, about half of the total water4 needed for the brew is added to each pot 12, 6. It is recognized thatthis ratio can vary significantly without effecting the operation oroutcome of the beer. Typically overall water 4 to grain 10 ratio will be1-2 quarts of water per pound of grain 10 so the wort is much moreconcentrated than the BIAB or the present invention. One pot 6, tosecond pot 12, to third pot 4 is preferably located one above the otherso it can gravity drain into the consecutive other pot. It is furtherpreferred to locate the hot liquor tank 12 above the mash tun.

In the prior art schematic of FIG. 2, a conventional Brew in a Bagsystem 16 is shown. In the conventional Brew in a Bag system 16 nosparging is performed and a mashing step 18 and boiling process 20 aredone in a single vessel or pot 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mashing process 24 of the present invention usesa two pot process and has a first pot or boil kettle 34 and a second potor mash tun 30. In this configuration, the mash tun 30 is placed abovethe boil kettle 34. The boil kettle 34 has an open top 35 and a closedbottom 36 and the mash tun 30 has an open top 37 and a closed bottom 38.The mash tun 30 has the water 4 and the crushed grain 10 positionedtherein, a false bottom or other filter system 39 (screens, slotted pipemanifold to name a few) and an outlet 40 positioned therein. In thisapplication an on/off valve or modulating valve or on/off modulatingvalve 44 is positioned therein; however, other throttling devices suchas a restrictive tube, orifice, pinch valve, variable flow pump etc.could be incorporated. The boil kettle 34 has the water 4 positionedtherein and an outlet opening 42. In this application another on/off ormodulating valve 41 is positioned in the outlet opening 42. A line 44communicates from the outlet opening 42 in the boil kettle 34 to themash tun 30. A pump 46 is located within this line 44. The pump 46 canbe manually controlled or electronically controlled as is known in theart. The heating unit 8, in this application, is positioned under theboil kettle 34. A line 48 extends from the on/off or modulating valve 41in the boil kettle 34 to the mash tun 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the two pot mashing process 24 of the presentinvention has the boil kettle 34 and the mash tun 30 reversed. The boilkettle 34 is positioned above the mash tun 30. The heating unit 8remains located under the boil kettle 34. However, the line 44 extendsfrom the mash tun 30 to the boil kettle 34 and has the pump 46 therein.And, the line 48 extends from the on/off or modulating valve 41 in theboil kettle 34 to the mash tun 30. The heating unit 8 remains locatedunder the boil kettle 34. The mash tun 30 has the water 4 and thecrushed grain 10 positioned therein, the false bottom or other filtersystem 39 (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet40 positioned therein. In this application the on/off or modulatingvalve 41 is positioned in the outlet opening 40; however, otherthrottling devices such as restrictive tubes, orifices, pinch valves,variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle 34 hasthe water 4 positioned therein and the outlet opening 42. In thisapplication another on/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned in theoutlet opening 42

As shown in FIG. 5, the two pot mashing process 24 of the presentinvention has the boil kettle 34 and the mash tun 30 elevationallylocated generally at a same elevation or in the same plane. The heatingunit 8 remains located under the boil kettle 34. The line 44 extendsfrom the on/off or modulating valve 41 positioned in the mash tun 30 tothe boil kettle 34 and the pump 46 remains therein. The line 48 extendsfrom the on/off or modulating valve 41 in the boil kettle 34 to the mashtun 30 and has a pump 50 positioned therein. The pump 50 can be manuallycontrolled or electronically controlled as is known in the art. The mashtun 30 has the water 4 and the crushed grain 10 positioned therein, thefalse bottom or other filter system 39 (screens, slotted pipe manifoldto name a few) and the outlet 40 positioned therein. In this applicationthe on/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned in the outlet opening40; however, other throttling devices such as restrictive tubes,orifices, pinch valves, variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated.The boil kettle 34 has the water 4 positioned therein and the outletopening 42. In this application another on/off or modulating valve 41 ispositioned in the outlet opening 42

As shown in FIG. 6, the two pot mashing process 24 of the presentinvention has the first pot or boil kettle 34 and the second pot or mashtun 30. In this configuration, the mash tun 30 is placed above the boilkettle 34. The boil kettle 30 has an open top 35 and a closed bottom 36and the boil kettle has an open top 37 and a closed bottom 38. The mashtun 30 has the water 4 and the crushed grain 10 positioned therein, thefalse bottom or other filter system 39 (screens, slotted pipe manifoldto name a few) and the outlet 40 positioned therein. In this applicationthe on/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned therein; however, otherthrottling devices such as a restrictive tube, orifice, pinch valve,variable flow pump etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle 34 hasthe water 4 positioned therein and the outlet opening 42. In thisapplication another on/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned in theoutlet opening 42. The line 44 communicates from the outlet opening 42in the boil kettle 34 to the mash tun 30. The pump 46 is located withinthis line 44. The pump 46 can be manually controlled or electronicallycontrolled as is known in the art. The heating unit 8, in thisapplication, is positioned under the boil kettle 34. The line 48 extendsfrom the on/off or modulating valve 41 in the mesh tun 30 to the boilkettle 34. However; a level or float control valve 52 to monitor theheight of the water 4 is positioned in the mash tun 30 below the opentop 37 and above the closed bottom 38 of the mash tun 30.

As shown in FIG. 7, the mashing process 24 of the present inventionagain uses the two pot process and has the first pot or boil kettle 34and the second pot or mash tun 30. In this configuration, the mash tun30 is placed above the boil kettle 34. The boil kettle 30 has the opentop 35 and the closed bottom 36 and the boil kettle has the open top 37and the closed bottom 38. The mash tun 30 has the water 4 and thecrushed grain 10 positioned therein, the false bottom or other filtersystem 39 (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet40 positioned therein near the closed bottom 36. In this application theon/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned in the outlet 40; however,other throttling devices such as restrictive tubes, orifices, pinchvalves, variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle34 has the water 4 positioned therein however the outlet opening 42 hasbeen removed. The heating unit 8, in this application, is positionedunder the boil kettle 34. The line 48 extends from the on/off ormodulating valve 41 in the mash tun 30 to the boil kettle 34. As analternative, shown in phantom, a flow control mechanism 60 has beenadded to the line 48. A lid 62 and/or adapter lid 66 is positioned onthe boil kettle 34 over the open top 35. The lid 62 and/or adapter lid66 has an opening 64 positioned therein. The lid 62 and/or adapter lid66 supports pots of different diameters and an adapter ring, not shown,is used to support pots of substantially the same diameter.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mashing process of the present invention usedtwo pots. However, in this application, a stand 70 on which the mash tun30 is positioned above the boil kettle 34 and supports each of the pots30,34. The stand 70 has a pair of vertical uprights 72 having slottedholes 74 therein which position a plurality of shelves 76. Nested orsliding legs 78 are attached to the vertical uprights 76. And, aplurality of wheels or casters 80 are attached to the legs 78. In thisconfiguration, the mash tun 30 is placed above the boil kettle 34. Theboil kettle 30 has an open top 35 and a closed bottom 36 and the boilkettle has an open top 37 and a closed bottom 38. The mash tun 30 hasthe water 4 and the crushed grain 10 positioned therein, the falsebottom or other filter system 39 (screens, slotted pipe manifold to namea few) and the outlet 40 positioned therein. The boil kettle 34 has thewater 4 positioned therein and the outlet opening 42. In thisapplication the on/off or modulating valve 41 is positioned in theoutlet opening 42. The line 44 communicates from the outlet opening 42in the boil kettle 34 to the mash tun 30. The pump 46 is located withinthis line 44. The pump 46 can be manually controlled or electronicallycontrolled as is known in the art. The heating unit 8, in thisapplication, is positioned under the boil kettle 34. The line 48 extendsfrom the outlet 40 in the mash tun 30 to the boil kettle 34.

In all of the various configurations shown, temperature control systemscan readily be adapted to the present invention by adding a temperaturesensor to either pot (but preferable to heated pot) or even in therecirculation lines 44, 48 to sense the temperature of the wort. Thisinformation is utilized to turn on or modulate the heat source 8. Sincea thin mash 10 is used, scorching risk of the wort sugars issignificantly reduced.

Additionally a transfer mechanism such as a pan, bucket or an automatedgrant (a simple tank with an outlet) could be used in conjunction withor in place of the boil kettle 30 and can be utilized to allow the mashtun or pot or vessel 34 to be drained into the grant vial gravity andwhen the grant is full a switch activates a pump which transfers thewort from the grant into the second pot or vessel or mash tun 34.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In operation, as best shown in FIG. 3, the mashing process 24 of thepresent invention utilizes one less pot 14 than the conventional 3 tiersystem, but one additional pot 30 over the conventional the Brew in aBag (BIAB) system. In the present invention or process a predeterminedvolume of water 4 is placed in one of the boil kettle 30 and a remainderof the water 4 is placed in the mash tun 34. In general, about half ofthe total water 4 needed for the brew is added to each pot 30, 34. It isrecognized that this ratio can vary significantly without effecting theoperation or outcome of the beer. Typically overall water 4 to gristratios will be 2-3.5 quarts of water 4 per pound of grain 10 so the wortis much less concentrated and is at or close to the initial specificgravity of the beer. While less water 4 can certainly be used, it doesreduce the mash lauter efficiency. One pot, the mash tun 34 ispreferably located above the second pot, the boil kettle 30 so the mashturn 34 can gravity drain into the boil kettle 30. It is noted that theinvention will also function with the boil kettle 30 above the mash tun34 as shown in FIG. 4. For overflow prevention of the mash tun 30, it isadvisable to size the mash tun 34 such that it will contain all thewater 4 and grains 10 without overflowing should the upper pot 30 beinadvertently drained into the mash tun 34 from a malfunction ormaladjustment of the wort flow equipment 41. If this gravity drainarrangement is not desired, a second pump 50 can be utilized and eitherpot 30, 34 can be located at virtually any level with respect to eachother as shown in FIG. 5. This is particularly useful for very largepots where access to the top of the pot may be impeded or impracticaldue to the height. The recirculation pump 46 is turned on and heat isadded (electric or gas heating applied to the bottom of the pot 34, gasand electric are the two most common with electric immersion, steamjacketing, induction heater etc, all possible) to boil kettle 34 toraise the temperature of both vessels 30, 34 to the desired temperature.The pump 46 is preferably continuously recirculating the wort and heatis added as needed to maintain a more even and equal temperaturethroughout the mash bed 10. However, it is also possible andadvantageous to modulate the pump 46 flow as needed or desired. Tomaintain about half of the water 4 in each pot 30, 34 the drain valve 41(or other throttling device such as a restrictive tube, orifice, pinchvalve, variable flow pump etc.) and pump 41 must be adjusted so that theexit rate is balanced with the entrance rate. Alternately, as shown inphantom, item 60, in FIG. 7 and shown in FIG. 6, as item 52, one or twoflow and/or level control valves 52,60 can be utilized to automaticallymaintain this balance. When the prescribed temperature of the water 4 isreached, the grain 10 is added to the mash tun 30. Alternately the grain10 could be added first and then heated and recirculated; however,better results usually happen adding the grain 10 after heating thewater 4 to the desired temperature. While the pump 46 may beintermittently turned on and off during the brewing process todistribute the heat, the pump 46 is preferably allowed to continuouslyrecirculate. This continual recirculation sets the grain 10 filter bedmuch better thereby clarifying the wort during the entire mashingprocess. Since the wort is clarified concurrently during the mashingprocess. The need to vorlauf (recirculate) afterwards is eliminated anda significant time savings is realized. At the end of the prescribedmashing time the recirculating pump 46 is turned off and the drain valve41 from the boil kettle 34 is closed. This allows all the wort from themash tun 30 to drain (or is pumped in two pump systems) into the boilkettle 34. Concurrent with the draining process, the boil kettle 34heater 8 is turned on (no longer modulated) and the wort currently inthe boil kettle 34 and the wort entering from the mash tun 30 is heatedto the boiling point. Since the wort is concurrently heated while themash tun is being drained additional time savings are realized. Thehigher water to grist ratio that is typically used (higher than both theBIAB and the 3 tier system) allows a higher efficiency than the BAIBprocess since a more diluted (lower specific gravity) wort remains inthe mash bed 10 after draining. The volume of wort absorbed by the grain10 is virtually the same in either system; however, the presentinvention utilizes a thinner wort so the remaining absorbed liquidcontains less total sugar. Therefore, the overall mash efficiency issignificantly more efficient than a BIAB system and approaches that of atraditional 3 tier system. Although not required, further improvement inmash 10 efficiency can be had by a slower draining time of the mash 10into the boil kettle 34. This allows more wort to drain from the mashtun 30 and does not add significant time to the overall process sincethe boil kettle 34 takes time to heat to a boil and this being doneconcurrently with the draining.

As shown in FIG. 7, the two pot process of mashing grain 10 has thefirst pot or boil kettle 34 positioned on the bottom and the second potor mash tun 30 position directly above the boil kettle 34. The lid 62and/or adapter lid 66 is positioned about the open end 35 of the boilkettle 34. And, the mash tun 30 is positioned on the lid 62 and/oradapter lid 66. Thus, in this embodiment an extremely compact and costeffective system, particularly attractive to brewers with limitedbrewing space is provided. The wort from the upper pot 30 is drainedinto the lower pot 34. While the opening 64 could be placed in the lowerpot, (and the upper support being as simple as a flat sheet) it ispreferred to leave kettle 34 without openings to prevent overflow duringthe boiling process. Although not necessary to the basic function of theinvention, a flow setting orifice 60 can be placed in the drain tube, asshown in phantom, to simplify setting the desired flow rate to avoidcompaction from flowing too quickly and allowing a more repeatable flowrate from batch to batch. While the orifice 60 is clearly optional, itis preferred in lieu of throttling the valve 41 manually since settingthe valve 41 batch to batch can be quite variable. Using the orifice 60,the valve 41 can then solely be used to turn the flow on or off. Afterthe mash process is completed as describer previously, the wort isallowed to drain into the boil kettle 34. Simultaneously the boil kettleheat can be turned up to bring the wort to a boil. After the wort hasbeen drained, the spent grains 10 can be removed from the mash tun 30and the mash tun 34 subsequently removed from the boil kettle 34.Typically this is finished well before the wort in the brew kettle 34has reached a boil so no time is added for draining and grain removal.The wort is then further processed in the boil kettle 34 as any otherbrewing process.

Another alternative is shown in FIG. 8, the stand 70 allows a compact,portable, and versatile way to perform the aforementioned two potprocess. Since the shelves 76 can be installed in any desired position,on either side of the vertical upright 72. The lower shelf 76 may alsobe positioned in any desired position and on either side of the stand70. Optionally, nested or sliding legs 78 can be utilized to provideanti-tipping capability so that the upper shelf 76 can be installed onthe opposite side, yet be retracted for compact storage. This feature isparticularly useful in apartments or small structures. In operation theupper pot 30 is preferably the mash tun 30, although it can beconfigured so that it is the boil kettle 34 on the upper shelf 76 asshown previously in FIG. 4. While the stand 70 can be operated with theupper pot 30 directly over the lower pot 34 as shown in FIG. 7, it ismore convenient to have access to the lower pot 34 for monitoring. Whilethe upper pot 30 can be placed high enough over the lower pot 34 to gainaccess to the lower pot 34 it does increase the overall height of theproduct making it harder to add and remove grain 10 etc. But it doeseliminate the need to fully extend the legs 78 allowing the stand 70 tofit into a smaller location. Typically, through, it is preferred toextend the legs 78 (which provide a tipping counterbalance force) andinstall the upper pot 30 on the opposite side of the stand 70 as shownin FIG. 8. This will allow for a much lower overall operational height,and yet for storage after use, it remains compact since the shelf 76 canbe quickly moved to the opposite side of the stand 70. This isparticularly advantageous for brewers living in apartments or havingother storage or operational space limitations.

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the “Brew-in-a-Bag”(BIAS) system by allowing wort clarification through recirculation andimproved efficiency since a thinner mash is used. In addition, theprocess time is virtually identical to that of the BIAB system and muchfaster than the 3 tier fly-sparge system since the sparging process iseliminated. It also eliminates the unsafe and inconvenient removal ofthe hot bag of spent grain 10. The present invention also provides acompact system for space conscience brewers by eliminating a third(3^(rd)) pot required in a 3 tier system. Lastly, the present inventionwill easily accommodate step mashing and automated temperature controlsystems that are difficult and impractical in BIAB systems.

LIST OF ELEMENTS

-   2 3 Tier System-   4 Water-   6 Mash Pot-   8 heating Unit-   10 Grain-   12 Hot Liquor Tank-   14 Third Pot-   16 Brew-in-a-Bag-   18 Mashing Step-   20 Boiling Process-   22 Single Vessel or Pot-   24 Mashing Process-   26-   28-   30 Second Pot or Mash Tun-   32-   34 First Pot or Boil Kettle-   35 Open Top—Boil Kettle-   36 Closed Bottom—Boil Kettle-   37 Open Top—Mash Tun-   38 Closed Bottom—Mash Tun-   40 Outlet—Mash Tun-   41 Valve-   42 Outlet Opening—Boil Kettle-   44 Line—Drain Bottom to Top-   46 Pump—Line 44-   48 line—Drain Top to Bottom-   50 Pump—Line 48-   52 Level or Float Control Valve-   54-   56-   58-   60 Float Control Mechanism-   62 Lid-   64 Opening—Lid-   66-   68-   70 Stand-   72 Upright-   74 Slotted Holes-   76 Shelves-   78 Legs-   80 Wheels or Casters-   82-   84-   86-   88

What is claimed is:
 1. A two pot system for mashing grain into fermentable sugars, comprising: (a) a first pot that is a mash tun; and (b) a second pot that is a boil kettle; said boil kettle having (i) an open top, (ii) a closed bottom, and (iii) a lid positioned in physical contacting relationship with the open top of said boil kettle; wherein said mash tun has (i) a closed bottom and (ii) a filter system, the mash tun's closed bottom being in physical contacting relationship with said lid of the boil kettle; (c) a drain line communicating from said mash tun near the closed bottom of the mash tun into said boil kettle; (d) a flow control mechanism positioned in said drain line; and (e) a heating unit transferring heat to said boil kettle.
 2. The two pot system for mashing grain into fermentable sugar of claim 1 wherein said drain line is connected to a valve positioned in an outlet of the mash tun.
 3. The two pot system for mashing grain into fermentable sugar of claim 1 wherein said mash tun includes a filter system.
 4. The two pot system of claim 3 wherein the filter system includes a false bottom.
 5. The two pot system of claim 1 further comprising a pump mechanism.
 6. The two pot system of claim 5 wherein the pump mechanism includes an electronic controller.
 7. The two pot system of claim 5 wherein the pump mechanism includes a manual actuator.
 8. The two pot system of claim 1 further comprising a liquid transfer mechanism. 